Discussion

pan question -- no 9 x 13 tonight!

I want to whip up some of my favorite blondies, but I have an 8 x 8 pan (two, actually) but no 9 x 13.... what can I do? Eat some of the batter and put the rest in the 8 x 8?? I play around a lot with cooking and not so much when baking... don't even know what to do about the pan switch!

Looks like a standard recipe, I've never frozen brownie (or blondie) batter, but did you consider that at all? If it freezes you can just thaw it when you are ready to make more.

The pan switch shouldn't be a problem, you should have enough batter to fill two 8x8 pans. If you don't want thicker blondies, just fill the 8x8 with a little less batter and fix two batches. If you have two 8x8 pans you can do it at the same time, if not, put the extra batter in the fridge, wait for the first batch to finish and then bake the rest of the batter.

pikawicca -- Yes, I know it's a standard. It's one of my go-to kitchen items! I had one, and when I went to look for it tonight, I see that it has disappeared. I live with three roommates. Perhaps that's why it disappeared!?!!? Anyway, these are all great ideas... thanks.

Assuming your batter is an inch thick, 9x13 pan is 117 cubic inches and two 8x8 pans equal 128 cubic inches. So your batter will be about 1/10 inch lower in the baking dish with the two 8x8's then it would have been with the 9x13. That's not precise but it's close enough for these purposes. The difference in size shouldn't make any significant difference in the outcome of your recipe, except that it may reach the "I'm done now" point a little sooner so just keep an eye on it.

T, have to laugh because I used to practice math doing that same exact question with my 2 DDs when they were younger. We also did division at the grocery store figuring out when 1 28 oz can was a better or worse deal than 2 16 oz cans.

Probably quite a bit sooner, since the sides of the 8" pans are closer to the middle of the batter area. Actually, for things like bar cookies I prefer the 8" square pans to a 9"x13", partly because I prefer the crusty outer edges and partly because they're easier to handle and I think cook more evenly. They're also exactly the right size for a two-to-four-person batch of things like scalloped potatoes and mac'n'cheese.